The 38 horse-and-rider combinations competing in 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final had the opportunity to school over eight fences in Dickies Arena’s impressive show ring in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday as part the jumper warm up before they go head-to-head in the €100,000 FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final  – Competition 1 on Thursday.

Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena, a spectacular 14,000-seat, state-of-the-art venue, will provide the setting for a show of Texas-sized proportions—and with renowned course designer Anderson de Moura Lima (MEX) at the helm, competitors can expect questions worthy of the occasion.

Testing the horses’ straightness, rhythm and adjustability, the course included a single vertical to a bending line with two verticals, around to a one-stride, followed by a left turn to the outside line consisting of an oxer to a vertical and finished with a rollback to a liverpool.

When Kent Farrington’s mare Greya landed right after the one-stride combination, he continued straight, quietly asked her to halt, picked up the right lead again, made a circle and then got the flying change to continue to the outside line.

Some riders only opted to school part of the course, and others choose to only flat around the jumps, depending on what their individual horse needed before the first big day of competition. Several riders had rails down over the liverpool.

U.S. Riders Ready to Contend on Home Soil

Nine years have passed since the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final was last won on home soil, and the hosts will be hoping Fort Worth can deliver another victory. A combination of proven talent and fresh momentum, the American riders appear well equipped to mount a serious charge on home soil.

History is certainly on the side of the U.S., which remains the most successful nation at the Final with 11 titles to its name. When it comes to female success, no country can match the American record either, with four of the five women to lift the trophy having flown the U.S. flag: Melanie Smith (1982), Leslie Burr-Howard (1986), Katharine Burdsall (1987) and Beezie Madden (2013 and 2018).

That depth is reflected again in this year’s home contingent. Team USA stalwart Laura Kraut brings a wealth of championship experience and one of the most accomplished careers in the sport to Fort Worth, where she’s set to contest her 10th FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final.

Current world number-two Kent Farrington brings serious firepower to the host nation, returning with the 12-year-old mare Greya. The pair are in flying form, having delivered seven wins at the five-star level in 2025 and finishing fourth at the 2024 Final in Riyadh, where Farrington also rode Toulayna, who he’s also riding in this year’s World Cup Final. The American jumper is hoping that his proven partnership can go at least one better to secure a place on the podium.

It’s not only familiar faces who will carry American hopes in Fort Worth. Twenty-one-year-old rising star Mimi Gochman is set to make her Final debut after booking her place with a breakthrough victory in Ocala, Florida, that marked her as one of the most exciting young names on the start list.

Local interest is also strong, with two-time World Cup finalist and World #36 Aaron Vale, who originally hails from nearby Irving, Texas, set to compete on familiar ground in Fort Worth aboard 2013 Holsteiner gelding Carissimo 25. Vale says it’s important to treat every horse as an individual when preparing for an event of this magnitude.

“Your internal focus might become greater, but it’s not like it’s on paper that you’re going to do this, this and this better or differently than normal,” he noted. “I just focus on trying to communicate with my horse and be specific on trying to get things as good as they can be and hopefully that pays off. But they’re horses, so you never know. That’s the thing—every horse is different.”

Even though Vale had his sights set on making it to the World Cup Final in Fort Worth this year, he only campaigned with Carissimo 25, who’s affectionately known as “Ducky,” this season. “I made a decision quite early that I would just do three qualifiers with him, and if that was enough to qualify then brilliant, but if it wasn’t we didn’t. He’s still a relatively young horse, so I didn’t want to over-campaign him but luckily it was enough,” Vale said. “With Ducky I’m really conscious that he doesn’t work too hard. Amsterdam in January was his last show, so he had a bit of downtime, and then we built back up again. So, it’s a very fine line. You have to know your horse well and what suits them best.”

Returning World Cup Champions

Compatriot Martin Fuchs, who claimed the title in 2022 with both Chaplin and The Sinner, also returns to the spotlight, this time aboard 11-year-old gelding L&L Lorde. One of the sport’s most consistent championship performers, Fuchs knows exactly what it takes to come out on top at this level and adds further strength to a formidable Swiss contingent in Fort Worth.

The roll call of returning champions doesn’t end there. Germany’s Daniel Deusser, who claimed the title in Lyon, France, in 2014 with Cornet d’Amour, is set to line out in Fort Worth aboard Otello de Guldenboom. He arrives after another strong Western European League campaign, and as one of the most established names in the field, we can expect strong performances from Deusser.

Thanks to Zoetis for our coverage of the 2026 FEI World Cup Finals. It includes lead-up events, rider interviews, competition reports, photos and more!

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Read more about our coverage of the 2026 FEI World Cup Finals in Forth Worth, Texas, here.